Balsamic Rhubarb & Yogurt Parfaits

An easy springtime dessert. Rhubarb and strawberries are stewed with agave nectar and a splash of balsamic vinegar and then layered with lightly sweetened whipped Greek yogurt over a ginger biscuit base.

It has taken me a looong time to work up the energy to post this recipe. I actually conceptualized this dessert about two weeks ago after tallying the votes from a recent Facebook poll. Most of you wanted to see a quick and easy dessert recipe hit the blog next, so I thought this would be a perfect excuse to stew up some rhubarb — one of my favourite parts about spring!

I fell in love with stewed rhubarb during my year in Australia. I’d never made anything with rhubarb before, but the crimson celery-like stalks at the market looked so inviting that I decided to grab a small bunch. I figured I’d get home and Google “ways to eat rhubarb” and come up with something delicious. Stewed rhubarb seemed like the safest way to go for my first foray. I chopped the bunch up, threw them into a pot with some sugar and water, and let the heat do its thang.

I didn’t actually eat it until the following morning. Unsure of what else to do with it, I topped some Greek yogurt with a scoop of the warm compote.

Oh. My. God.

It was like dessert! For breakfast! I was in love then and there. I proceeded to eat the remainder of the bucket in two sittings and rushed out to the market to get a larger supply. My little fridge had never seen so much rhubarb.

I’m channeling that first taste of rhubarb in this simple and easy parfait dessert. It’s basically a lavish breakfast masquerading as dessert, but therein lies its beauty. Who says you can’t have dessert for breakfast, or vice versa? I like having options.

We start with a simple mixture of crushed ginger biscuits and butter for the base. I love ginger and rhubarb together, so it made oodles of sense to use ginger cookies instead of graham crackers. If you can’t find ginger biscuits (I used McVities Gingernuts, which had the least amount of bizarre ingredients), you can make your own or substitute graham cracker crumbs.

After that we whip together honey, vanilla, and full-fat Greek yogurt to create a creamy, tangy, luscious filling. Seriously though. Who doesn’t love honey drizzled over their Greek yogurt? Crazies, that’s who!

The balsamic rhubarb and strawberry compote is hands-down my favourite layer. It’s smooth, flavourful, and sweet. It has just the right amount of tartness and an extra something-something from the balsamic vinegar. It does take about twenty minutes to stew, but if you make the giant batch this recipe calls for, you’ll have extras all week long! Pour it over oatmeal, slather it on your Sunday morning pancakes, or just eat it straight up with a spoon. No judgment here. Bonus — it tastes amazing warm and cold. I love a versatile dessert.

This parfait is so easy, but it looks and tastes as if you spent ages slaving away over it. When all you really did was watch Game of Thrones while the fridge, stove, and mixer did all the work. As it should be, amiright?

If you make these Balsamic Rhubarb & Yogurt Parfaits, be sure to take a photo and tag me @cinnamonscribe on Instagram or Twitter. I love seeing your creations and sharing them!

Add the rhubarb, strawberries, vinegar, agave, and salt to a large pot over medium heat.

Bring the mixture to a low boil then reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to stew for 20 minutes or until the rhubarb is very soft and pulling apart.

Add the arrowroot powder and water mixture and stir well. Let the mixture simmer for another 2 minutes then remove from the stove and let cool.

Once the rhubarb has come to room temperature, refrigerate until ready to assemble.

Biscuit Base:

Place the biscuits into a large Ziploc bag and close tightly, making sure all the air is out of the bag. Place the bag onto a cutting board and crush the cookies by rolling over the bag with a rolling pin until crumbed. Alternatively, you can also whiz the biscuits into a crumb in a food processor.

Remove ¼ cup of the biscuit crumb and set aside for topping.

Combine the remaining biscuit crumb and melted butter in a small bowl. Stir the crumb together until it reaches a sandy consistency.

Add 2 tablespoons of crumb mixture into each serving glass, making sure to press the crumb to form a solid base.

Refrigerate the glasses for at least 30 minutes.

Yogurt:

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, combine the yogurt, honey, and vanilla.

Whip the yogurt on high until it becomes slightly aerated and lighter, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Assembly:

Remove the serving glasses from the fridge and line them up for easy assembly.

Pour the yogurt mixture into a piping bag and pipe a generous portion into each glass (alternatively, you can spoon the mixture into the glasses). You should use half the yogurt mixture for this step. Gently wiggle the glasses to smooth out the layer.

Spoon 3-4 tablespoons of rhubarb mixture into each glass on top of the yogurt layer. Gently smooth the layer.

Top the rhubarb with the remaining yogurt and smooth it out.

Dust the top of each parfait with the reserved ginger biscuit crumb and serve immediately.

Notes

This recipe yields enough rhubarb compote for 4-6 small parfaits with leftovers for the week.

3.5.3208

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I'm Amanda, the baker, editor, photographer, and cinnamon lover behind this blog. I'm all about creating simple, fun recipes for delicious home baked goods using natural ingredients. Welcome, and thanks so much for stopping by! more about me →